Nix It
by Loise
Summary: Gotta talk about something on that ship. Set between GW and Endless Waltz. Gen.


_Nix It  
_

* * *

Them becoming partners didn't happen accidentally, Sally is sure. They're both a little bit famous from the last war. Not as famous as the Gundam pilots, but still, famous. They're known. The other Preventers view them with awe and distrust depending on which side their were on during the war. Sally is slightly annoyed that more people seem to fear Noin. She led a guerrilla force, does that mean nothing these days?

The organisation is still too new and fragile for rifts. Sally wanted the Preventers to work.

Lady Une trusted them to be polite with each other. Sally never expected them to get along as well as they do.

Learning to know Noin, away from the stern realities of war, it was interesting. She had a way of saying something that was utterly outrageous and yet managed to keep a straight face.

But there was also something melancholy about her. Sally knew why. Another strike against men. Or really, Zechs Merquise and the stick in his arse.

If the man wasn't so pretty, Sally was sure someone would have smothered him in his sleep long ago.

* * *

"Have you ever seen Zechs naked?" Sally asked idly. They were in the middle of routine inspections in the east quadrant and the question had just popped out bypassing her brain. The second it came out Sally resisted the urge to the slam her head against the sensors in front of her. She only needed one talk about the delicate, sensitive but above all expensive machinery from LadyUne in her lifetime. "I didn't mean, I mean I did, but not in the way I think you thought I meant it. Oh shit, I messed this up."

"I have, actually," Noin said. Sally turned around and stared at Noin. To her surprise, there was a small smile on Noin's face. Noin's eyes flared hot for a moment before settling into something amused.

"Really?" Sally asked and Noin nodded. Taking that as an invitation, Sally leaned forward, "With or without the mask?"

Noin laughed at that. "Both! Though the mask made the whole situation awkward. At least romantically. I could separate cadet Zechs naked from... my lover Zechs naked except for a heavy, painful mask that always seemed to bump into me at the worst possible moments."

"The deed was done?"

"The deed was done," Noin shook her head, "I'm not quite sure why you think a military academy, even an OZ one, would be sexless. Especially with hormonal teenagers."

There was a moment where they stared at each other. Both aware that they had been on opposite sides for a time.

"We were both surrounded by soldiers," Sally said finally.

"I couldn't count the number of invitations I received," Noin said, smiling in remembrance. "Zechs would always hide his jealousy. But I knew."

"So many virgins who didn't want to die one," Sally said.

"Yes," Noin said calmly.

"There was this man, boy really, but he wasn't really much younger than me. I couldn't say no to him. He was utterly charming and sweet and _brave_. He returned to me with three fingers and no legs and..."

"I understand," Noin murmured.

"I so wanted to help him and I couldn't," Sally took a deep breath. "When I left the army, I met a man and he was gorgeous. It happened once. He sends me photos of his child now and his wife. He's not much older than me and he has a kid and his smile is still the same," Sally sighed and stared at the screens in front of her. "There's more activity at 3 o'clock," she commented.

"I've already logged it," Noin said.

"So... the mask? You seriously had sex with his mask on?" Sally grinned. "How old were you?"

"Just the one time. I was fifteen and thought he was terribly romantic and noble. Zechs had to hide his identity. I mean, he already showered with it on and I still wonder how he had the best kept hair considering the communal showers, but yes. We were teenagers and it still makes me shiver,"Noin said, shuddering.

Sally laughed.

* * *

In some respects it's easy to see why they are partnered. They're both highly skilled and effective in their fields. But Sally can't help feel thatNoin would rather be teaching the new Preventers. Noin in the rare time they give a tutorial excelled at teaching and left the classroom with a smile on her face.

The students also benefit from her teaching.

But with the Preventers still in a stage where funding is difficult and Sally sometimes doesn't get a paycheck, they need field agents. Ones that Lady Une can trust.

Sally found it difficult to adjust from a guerrilla operation to an organised force. The reports for one, have been distinctively created for the sole purpose of crushing the spirits of people. Sally is sure, very sure of that.

Paperwork she does reluctantly, a evil that must be vanquished. Noin does it with quiet efficiency.

A lot of their time together is quiet. Later they talked, when they started to get to know each and start to relax. It helped that they were often stuck in a ship for over a week with only each other for company. Those sort of missions have been happening more often recently.

Sally despaired over the lack of good men in the world and the stupidity of some of L3's leaders. Noin rarely mentioned anything about herself, or anything emotional. But instead revealed a passion in horror films of the B variety.

There are things they don't talk about. Sally did anyway.

* * *

"Do you miss being a doctor?" Noin said, one morning. Sally had been the eying the array of sensors in front of her with growing unease and jerked at the question.

"I, well, sometimes," Sally shrugged. "There are one than one way to be helpful. Medicine was never my great passion, helping people was what I wanted to do. There weren't many opportunities where I grew up and I thought being a doctor could help people. The military was my only choice, with my limited means."

"You must have excelled," Noin commented.

"Yes," Sally smiled, "Half of my classmates were dunderheads, there only at the because of their daddy's rank. The others were only there for the rank involved in being a military doctor. I was one of the few who had a passion to drive me."

"Is that why you joined the Preventers? A passion for human life?"

"Something a little bit more mundane. Mostly I needed something to do. A transition from soldier to doctor to guerrilla to whatever the hell I am now. Police? No, but I needed this."

"The military was this great tradition in my family and seeing Gen - seeing great soldiers who drove me higher," Noin added, eyes far off even as they scanned the sensors. "I hadn't given much thought to a society where the military is not needed. Where..."

"I heard rumours that you came second instead of first because of - "

"Rumours," Noin said and her tone was final.

Sally looked askance at her and nodded after several seconds.

* * *

The situation had become worse over the year. Sally wasn't entirely surprised, just disappointed. She could tell, however, that Noin took it more personally.

The end of the war had involved so many sacrifices.

They double checked. They tripled checked. The reality was right in front of them.


End file.
